A tradition to kick off the annual planting of the tulips in Pella returned Saturday as the high school cross country teams from Pella and Pella Christian helped plant hundreds of bulbs along Main Street.

For more than a decade, the two schools have lent their assistance to the City of Pella Parks Department on the weekend before the state meet.

Parks Director Chandler Nunnikhoven says he’s thankful for the assistance the athletes and coaches provide each year, and starting this week, the process begins to plant 130,000 bulbs in City-owned flower beds.